Retracting type theater chair



Dec. 20, 1949 ORTQN I 2,492,105

RETRACTING TYPE THEATER CHAIR Filed June 29, 1946 2 She'ets-Sheet l 13 a; 5% :7 l6 Z5 51 24 INVENTOR 1 llez rifl' K. Orton BY Q] 8A'TTORNEY Dec. 20, 1949 M. K. ORTON RETRACTING TYPE THEATER CHAIR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 29, 1946 INVENTOR )Itrilf K. Orion ATTORNEY Patented Du. 20, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC RETRACTING TYPE THEATER CHAIR Merritt K. Orton, Grand Rapids Mich., assignor to American SeatingCompany, Grand Rapids, Mich., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 29, 1946, Serial No. 680,425 4 Claims. (01. 155-116) The present invention relates to chairs and more particularly to chairsof the retracting type for. installation in theaters, auditoriums and the like. i a

The primary objects of the invention are to provide an improved chair of the retracting type wherein the occupant may move the seat rearwardly in order to permit others to pass in front of him without his having to rise from his seat; to provide such a chair which when retracted utilizes a minimum of space to the rear; to provide such a chair having an arrangement of pivoted links for supporting the seat and back and whicharrangement provides for easy and comfortable retracting and forwardly returning movements; to provide such a chair whose mountings and operating mechanism are located Figure 1 is a perspective view of a retracting theater chairin its forwardly moved position;

Figure 2 is a sectional view thereof taken on line 2-2 of Figure 3 and showing the parts of the chair in their forwardly moved positions;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the right hand side of the chair;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the chair similar to Figure l and showing the chair in its rearwardly moved or retracted position; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Figure 2 and showing the parts of the chair in their rearwardly moved or retracted positions.

Referring now in detail to these drawings, the retracting chair there shown is mounted upon a frame which comprises spaced upright chair supporting standards Ill here shown rigidly connected by a cross-brace l l and provided with conventional arm rests l2. If desired the standards may be secured directly to the floor and may have no connection other than the chair parts hereinafter described, and the term frame as .used herein is intended to include such an arrangement of the standards.

a The chair proper generally comprises a seat and back assembly in which the seat l3 and back M are pivotally connected for relative movement,

and this assembly is so mounted on the standards that when the seat moves rearwardly the back also moves rearwardly and simultaneously turns from its inclined position to a near-vertical position. In addition the seat I3 is preferably 2 independently turnable about a horizontal axis so that it may be raised for facilitating sweeping under the chair.

The chair back I4 is secured as by screws or bolts l5 to the inwardly turned flanges l6. of back carriers I! on opposite sides of the chair. The forward ends of the back carriers ii are supported by front supports [8 to the upper ends of which said back carriers are pivotally connected. The lower ends of the front supports l8 are pivotally associated with the standards ill by means of members I9 having their forward ends pivoted about a horizontal axis to the front supports i8 and their rearward ends pivoted about a vertical axis to lugs 20 on the standards to thus compensate for variation in the distances between standards.

The back carriers ll are supported in the rear by several pairs of links, in which the links 2| of the first pair have their upper ends pivotally connected to members 22 pivoted about avertical axis to the standards I 0 similarly to the members l9. The links 23 of the second pair of rear supporting links have their lower ends pivotally connected to the lowerends of the links 2| and have their upper ends pivotally connected to the rear of the back carriers IT. The links 24 of the third pair of rear supporting links have their rearward ends pivotally connected to the links 2| and 23 at their point of connection and have their forward ends pivotally connected to the front supports i8. It will be seen that by this arrangement a floating support, 1. e. the links 23, is provided for the back carriers l'l.

Seat carriers 25 have their rearward ends pivotally associated with the back carriers ll, being pivotally connected to the back carriers and to the upper ends of the links 23 at their point of connection. The seat carriers 25 are supported in the front by short links 25 which links 26 are pivotally connected at their upper ends to the front supports l8 and are pivotally connected at their lower ends to the forward ends of the seat carriers. By this arrangement the forward and rearward movement of the seat carriers is in a substantially horizontal path. The chair seat I3 is mounted for turning movement about a horizontal axis by means of seat arms 21 secured on opposite sides of the seat by screws 28 and pivotally connected by any conventional means at 29 to the seat carriers 25 respectively. The seat I3 is supported in its lowered position of occupancy by contact of the seat arms 21 with in- \zvardly extending stops 30 on the seat carriers Movements of the seat and back when retracted or returned by the chair occupant, are best understood by a comparison of Figures 2 and 5 of the drawings. It will be seen that the seat moves rearwardly and forwardly with the seat carriers in a substantially horizontal path during which movement the back moves rearwardly with the back carriers and assumes a hear-vertical position thus to utilize a minimum of space to the rear of the chair.

Retracting movement of the chair is stopped by the contact of bumpers 31 on the links 24 with the upper ends of races 32 in the front supports i8 as seen in Figure 5; and-forwardreturning movement of the'chair is stopped by contact of the bumpers 3| with the lower ends of the races 32 as seen in ,,-Figure 2. The front supports is are preferably connected by a crosstie or strut 33 secured thereto as by welding, and the stability of the structure is thereby increased.

- Whilebut one specific embodiment of the in- *vention' has been herein shown and described,

it will be understood that numerous details may be-altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of theinvention as the sam is defined by the following claims.

I claim: r

1. In a chair, a frame, back carriers and a back mounted thereon, front supports having theirlower ends pivotally connected to the frame and their upper. ends. pivotally connected to the lower forward ends of the back carriers, seat carv movements of the front supports.

3. In a chair, a frame, back carriers and a back mounted thereon, front supports having their lower ends pivotally connected to the frame and their upper ends pivotally connected to the lower forward ends of the back carriers, seat carriers having their rearward ends pivotally connected to the back carriers and their forward ends pivotally connected to the front supports, a seat mounted on the seat carriers turnably about a horizontal axis, means on the seat carriers for supporting the seat in its lowered position of occupancy, and means for supporting the rearward ends-of the'back carriers comprising pairs of links, the links of theifirst pair having their riers having their rearward ends pivotally confor supporting the rearward ends of the back nected: to the back carriers and their forward l A ends pivotally connected to thefront supports, a V seat-mounted on the: seat carriers, and means carriers comprising pairs of links, the. links of the first pair having their upper ends pivotally connected to the frame, the links of the second pair having their lower ends pivotally connected to the lower ends of the first pair and their upper ends pivotally connected to the rearward ends and their forward ends pivotally connected to 'of the back carriers,- and the links ofcthe third pair having their rearward ends pivotally connected to the links of the first and second pairs and means carried by the third pair of links adapted to contact-said stops to limit the forward and rearward movements of the front supports.

2.In a chair, a frame,-back carriers and a back mounted thereon, -front supports having their lower ends pivotally connected to the frame and their upper ends pivotally connected to the lower upper ends pivotally connected to the frame, the links of the second pair havingrtheir lower ends pivotally connected to the lower ends of the first pair and theirhupper ends pivotally connected to the rearward ends of the back carriers, and the. links of .the third pair having their rearward ends pivotally connected to the links of the first and second pairsand theirforward ends pivotally connected to the front supports, stops on the front supports;v and means carried by the third pair of links adapted to, contact said stops to limit the forward and rearward movements of the frontsupports. 1

4. In a chair, a frame, a seat and back assembly 1 whereintheseatand back are pivotally connected .for relative movement, front supports having .their lower ends pivotallyconnected to the frame and their upper ends pivotally connected to the forward v,,;part of the seat and back assembly, rand means for supporting the seat and back assembly in the rear comprising. pairs of links, the links of the firstpair having their upper ends pivotally connected to the frame, the links of the second pair, having their lower ends pivotally connected to the lower, ends of the first pair and their upper ends pivotally connected to the rearward part of' the seat and back assembly, and

the links of the third pai having their rearward ends pivotally connected to the links of the first forward ends of the backcarriers, seat carriers having their rearward ends pivotally connected to the back carriers, links pivotally connected at their upper ends'to the front supports and pivotally connected at their lower ends to the forward ends of the seat carriers, a seat mounted on the seat carriers, and means for supporting the rearward ends of the back carriers comprising pairs of links, the links of the first pair havl ing their upper ends pivotally connected to the frame, the links of the second pair having their lower ends pivotally connected to the lower ends of the first pair and their upper ends pivotally Number and second pairs and their forward ends pivotally connected to the front supports, stops on the :front supports, and means carried by the third pair of links adaptedto contact said stops to limit the forward and rearwardmovements of the front supports. I

MERRITT K. ORTON. REF ERENCES CITED -The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITEll) "STATES PATENTS .V...Name Date.v 1,604,001 Vetchik Oct. 19, 1e26 2,256,004 Thomas Sept. 16, 1941 2,336,031 Orton Dec. 7, 1943 

